So I decided to start by ordering the latest release by Ian Hawgood (also Home Normal’s label owner): “Slow Films in Low Light“.

“Slow Films in Low Light” is a collection of reworkings of Ian Hawgood’s (now deleted) album “Soundtrack To A Film In My Head Which Will Never Get Made”. All tracks are “Films” recreated by a lot of Hawgood’s musical friends, and the result is a good overview of the kind of music Home Normal stands for.

I’m not familiar with the original album, so I cannot compare the tracks to their originals, but the reworkings and remixed do stand up for themselves, presenting a broad range of music compelling enough to further investigate the Home Normal releases (so be warned!).

With all these artists freely spending their time and contributing their talent to this project, Hawgood decided that all proceedings of this release would go the Archway Foundation, a UK charity organisation ‘who serve those hurt by loneliness’.
In fact, that could be said about the music itself, too. This diverse set of contemporary ambient/experimental music never sounds ‘dark’ or ‘lonely’. It’s adventurous, exciting and worth investigating….in the way the kid on the cover photograph may feel.

By the way: “A Film by Cheihei Hatakeyama” is also included as the opening track in the “Subversion Guest Mix”